Hundreds of invitations have been sent. Press releases and fact sheets have been drafted. Volunteers have been coordinated. It's time for the big event. Today, Secretary Clinton and Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin are hosting "1,000 Days: Change a Life, Change the Future: Partnering to Reduce Child Undernutrition." The "1,000 Days" event addresses the problem of child undernutrition, focusing on programs targeted at the 1,000 day "window of opportunity" -- the critical developmental period from pregnancy to two years of age.

As the guests, speakers, and dignitaries from around the world stream in, it's exciting to see this important event come together. The State Department, including the Bureau of Economics, Energy, and Business Affairs, our colleagues at USAID, the United Nations, and across the U.S. and Irish governments have been working around the clock to bring attention to this crisis. As 200 million children around the world suffer from chronic undernutrition, we are bringing the international community together to meet this challenge. Evidence shows that a child who is well nourished for the critical 1,000 days will have a healthier and more prosperous future. "1,000 Days" is more than one event. It includes commitments to follow-up actions and aims to support a broad-based movement to improve child nutrition.

The event reflects the larger U.S. government commitment to enhancing food security and supporting the Feed the Future initiative. In the Bureau of Economics, for example, we are part of a collaborative global effort centered on country-led processes to improve food security, and the U.S. government will be investing more than $3.5 billion over three years to support country-led plans to combat hunger. We are working to promote research and innovation that offer the potential to help countries meet their food security needs, improve the environment, and increase rural incomes. These goals have enormous potential for contributing to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty by 50 percent by 2015.

As my team works behind the scenes to support this event today, I'm proud to say that we're working hard every day to combat the root causes of chronic hunger and poverty around the world. This is an effort that I will be a part of next month when I hit the road to Chicago and Des Moines for the World Food Prize, so please stay tuned.

Comments

Comments

Thanks for getting this vital message out, Assistant Secretary Fernandez. I'm happy to learn our government is trying to make a difference for the lives of women and children around the world.

Beata R.

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Poland

September 22, 2010

Beata R. in Poland writes:

think i need ur support

there are visions that are coming to me in pieces,

they are complete concepts of ideas how to help people.

i am working 16 hrs a day to have it written down, but i cant catch up, as almost each word, when writien, opens a new world. they are endless possibilities, and i picked one i am particularly involved in.

when working on my book, red ribbon book, which of course was born as the whole concept, with the content only needing now polishing, published at christams 2011, i wrote down the name of my place of birth, which is Oswiecim, and at this very moment when i saw this word the Idea was born.

I am starting a foundation, WWHL, legal procedures i have to go through will last a while, and in the meantime i am working on how to make it wide spread, i am getting ready to present my universal idea of CUBE to the whole world, want to do it in Oxford, UK, on TED.

i am tired...

and need some rest

i contacted u first time when in my vision i was told i am the seventh eye, and will be surrounded by seven wise men, and first of all i should contact Jewish people. I spoke to some rabbi, an orthodox one, and he admitted that my idea of CUBE is visionary and is going to help many people, but it doesnt

(shouldnt ) affect them. (? ) : )

i am tired,
i am looking for friends.

Beata

pamela g.

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West Virginia, USA

September 22, 2010

Pamela G. in West Virginia writes:

This mission is one to celebrate. We must feed the future generations so they don't turn to violence as a means to find food and they find pride in themselves as they can provide for their own families. This says nothing of how much better the brain functions when it wasn't starved as an infant. This initiative should be copied all over the globe.